Into safe hands
A group of 99 South Vietnamese refugees is assisted aboard HMAS Melbourne by Royal Australian Navy sailors.
Boats from HMAS Melbourne (R21) and HMAS Torrens (DE53) ferry refugees from the stricken Nghia Hung adrift in the South China Sea, 21 June 1981. This group of men, women, children and infants was officially designated as MG99.
- About Darrell White
Darrell White was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His family moved to Perth in the mid-1980s, and he left school to join the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) where he became a Signalman. Whilst in the RAN, he regularly photographed ships with the view to one day capturing the scenes in oils. Limited space onboard was not conducive to painting, so Darrell became highly skilled with graphite pencil. Having served seven years, his desire to be a visual creative was the motivation to pursue a new career in Web Design, whilst building up a body of artwork on the side.
David says:
“My art is an eclectic collection, reflecting my multifaceted inspirations and interests. On the one side there is technology with a strong pull towards maritime subjects, with a great influence from growing up in a Naval family and having served in the Royal Australian Navy myself.
On the other side is fantasy work which blends into illustration with some subjects that are appealing to a much younger audience. These two sides usually fight for the opportunity to become a reality on canvas. This has led me to having at least two streams of work on at any one time.
The thread that brings my work together is the desire to reproduce the work in a highly detailed and realistic manner, whether it be graphite pencil or acrylics. I’ve delved into digital art, but I love the tactile interaction with paint and pencil and revel in unplanned mistakes that can create a new style or quality to my work.”
David joined the Australian Society of Marine Artists, and amongst several commissions, was engaged by the West Australian Cricket Association to create a painting of HMAS Sydney (II); as a centre piece for their Commemorative display. The National Maritime Museum of Australia purchased two of his pencil drawings for their collection.
Another side of his work includes a large range of illustrations for the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation. These adorn promotional material, activity books for kids, signage and even playground equipment.
Darrell now resides in Wellington and continues to produce works for Australasian clients.
- About HMAS Melbourne (ll)Sailors at work
Since entering World War 1 in 1914 with 16 ships, two submarines and 3800 RAN personnel (including 850 from the Royal Navy) the number of serving personnel in the Royal Australian Navy has fluctuated depending on the strategic and shifting financial environment. Over more than a century, the RAN’s and people have seen action in every ocean of the world.
Of the tens of thousands who have served, 2658 members have made the ultimate sacrifice defending Australia’s interests in warlike and peacetime operations across the globe.
Fortunately, for the vast majority who served in periods of peace or survived periods of hostilities the experience was positive.
In addition to their service in a particular category which involved specific duties, they also participated in communal duties such as coaling ship. Thus, the artworks included in this section relate to a mix of specialist and communal activities.
More reading
- Additional resources for Darrell White
- Additional resources for HMAS Melbourne (ll)Sailors at work